What "project" are you most proud of?

 Hmmm. This wasn’t a team project in the usual sense, however, the thing I’m most proud of is something I did after I retired. I read Larry Sabato’s book, 23 Ways to Improve the U S Constitution and was amazed at his chutzpah suggesting revisions for the book most Americans put on the shelf next to the Bible. I agreed with 22 of his suggestions and reflected on my experience with being deeply involved in religion for 35 years and then stepping away (major mid-life near-death crisis). I concluded after reading widely including all the major religious scriptures that organized religion consisted of mountains of mythological rubbish. Answers people imagined to phenomena they didn’t understand.

SO, impressed by Sabato’s courage, I determined to write, and did, a Science-Based Alternative to the World’s Scriptures. I collected data for 20 years, reading widely from history to particle physics to cultures to history of religion and much more. I thought it would take 5 years to write—ended up being 8 months full time. I published A Song of Humanity: A Science-Based Alternative to the World’s Scriptures in 2016. I realize that not many will read it, especially people of “faith.” Daniel Kahneman won a Nobel Prize for highlighting the idea that people make decisions based on their VABEs rather than on evidence. And I note the Bible wasn’t compiled until 321 AD amidst a group of some 600 diverse “scholars” of their age. ASOH has over 900 references and 20 pages of single-spaced source references. Go here A Song of Humanity for Table of Contents and sample chapter.

AND I feel complete having at least provided an easy-to-read alternative to the various mythology based scriptures out there. It was a big undertaking, challenging millennia of accumulated mythology. That people still believe that stuff, amazes me. Further, all those major scriptures are regionally based and focused. ASOH includes global stories and data that “supersedes” regional perspectives. If someone is reading it in 300 years, I’ll be long gone, but am happy now imagining that a few people might find it more real.

I think our American (and global) motto should be “In Truth We Trust.” Yet most people worldwide trust their VABEs over evidence and data. The trend today discounting science is very disturbing. Read Terry Nichol’s The Death of Expertise as one example.

Very big, ambitious “project” and one I’m proud of. Despite it’s relative obscurity.